Hmmm . . . me Tarzan, you Jain?

For those who may not know, Jainism is an ancient Indian religion that, among other tenets, requires its followers to avoid harming any other living thing.  "Causing injury to any being in any form creates bad karma which affects one's rebirth, future well being and suffering."  The slaughter of animals for food is anathema to them, as it is to militant vegans - although the latter all too often don't subscribe to Jainism's non-violence creed.  Anyway, that's where the title of this article comes from.

Be that as it may, a group of vegans in England have come up with a non-violent new twist of which Jains will probably approve.

Leicestershire Animal Save are hosting roadside monthly vigils once a month in Melton Mowbray in which they whisper phrases to cattle before they arrive at an abattoir run by Foyle Food Group.

The activists, who have held 35 ceremonies since founding their group in 2015, also hold signs which say "your taste=their death".

Group founder Dina Aherne said the group has an understanding with the slaughterhouse bosses, who let them stop the trucks and trailers which transport the cows.

The 38-year-old former solicitor from Leicester said: "We want to make the cows feel at ease every time because they are living and sacred beings.

"Cows have a living soul and conscience. We really want to help comfort them.

"We have to arrange and give two weeks notice for when we are going to be on site.

"When we arrive usually at about 8am, we gather outside the slaughterhouse on days when the abattoir is operational for about three hours.

"We then stop each of the trucks and are given two minutes to say the last goodbye's before they go and get a bolt gun put through their head.

"We whisper phrases to them like 'we're sorry', 'we see you' and 'I love you'."

There's more at the link.

I don't suppose it does any harm . . . but if I were to join them, I'd be whispering other things, like "Sirloin!", "Ribeye!" and "T-bone!"  I can't imagine the cows will feel any the worse for the more . . . ah . . . secular incantations!  I'll invite the rest of the North Texas Writers, Shooters and Pilots Association to join me.  We frequently enjoy a good steak together, so we'll be able to get into the spirit of the thing, as well as digest (you should pardon the expression) its deeper implications.




Peter